Their Secret
by mystic-water
Summary: "Weeks fell into months and months to years, and everyday Marlene kept their secret as her own. Because even now she couldn't bring herself to remember or understand why she had decided to help them or how she managed to keep them a secret for ten years."… Sephiroth Clones/Marlene x Kadaj/Marlene focus


It was raining again; it was getting closer to winter and the weather had turned dauntingly gloomy. Much like the rest of her life had gotten as years went by. To say the least, life had gotten boring since Marlene had gotten older. Well at least her home life had.

7th Heaven's business had gotten better over the years, so Tifa was always busy, and Cloud always managed to find something to busy himself with when he wasn't on jobs or deliveries.

Marlene only ever really saw her dad on weekends if she was lucky, always busy with work. Vincent hadn't been by since last Christmas, much to Marlene's disappointment, while Yuffie and Cid occasionally called but their visits didn't extend further than that.

Denzel had left home over a year ago, now at the age of 21 he needn't stay around, after all Marlene was old enough to take care of herself now too. She would be 18 in a couple months.

However, that wasn't to say life outside of the home had gotten boring… not since Marlene's seventh birthday.

She leaned her forehead on the cool glass of her bedroom window, watching as streams of rain water trickled past her eyes. She was waiting for dark, like she always did. She was waiting patiently for Tifa and Cloud to fall asleep. After all, they wouldn't approve if they knew what she was up to at this hour. And they certainly wouldn't approve if they found out that the _real reason_ why she slept-in till 4pm every day, was because she was out spending her nights with men much older than her.

When she was younger, she was innocent and naive, she couldn't deny it; she never lied, was always sweet, always smiling, always told the truth with a blunt honesty. But since she had found _them,_ she found herself unable to smile while at home, and now she was lying to friends and family on regular basis; it almost became impulsive.

But she could not bring herself to smile unless she was with _them_ ; only they gave her a reason to smile, so that wasn't so bad right? And she was lying to protect the ones she loved, so wasn't that justified too?

Finding the three brothers had been the best and worst thing that had ever happened to Marlene. It was her seventh birthday, and she was playing hide and seek with Denzel (with much begging) and the other orphans. As usual she hid in the church, where she felt most safe, most at home. But suddenly, loud and almost painful coughing- reminding her of the geostigma that was cured the year before- brought Marlene to an abandoned warehouse around the corner alley from the church.

Lifestream was everywhere; it looked to be acting violently towards the three brothers. Licking and snapping at their ankles almost bitterly, as if it were alive. She had never seen lifestream act that way before, it scared her. She watched as it dissipated before her eyes, leaving her alone with the brothers. Cloud had told her they were dead. But there, the three silver-haired men were alive, but barely.

Loz was crying as he held his stomach, leaning against a far wall, making no other sound aside from his constant whimpers. His eyes shut tightly, as he gasped for breath that seemed to evade him; sweat and tears dripping down his face.

Yazoo was sitting on the stairs, his head in his hands, his body trembling with the pain. She could see that his breaths were shallow and fast. His silvery hair fell over his face, hiding his pained expression, like a cascading veil of endless silver locks.

Then there was Kadaj, on all fours nearest to Marlene, doubled over coughing loudly, blood dripping from his pale lips. She noticed that his arms which held him up were struggling to hold his body weight; the muscles were quivering uncontrollably as he struggled to keep his elbows locked and his body from collapsing.

The memory of fear held her motionless. She knew she should have ran, either one of them could have lashed out and killed her; but they made no acknowledgment to her presence. Not until Kadaj lifted his head in momentary lapse from his coughing fit and locked eyes with her.

Something inside her urged her body forward. His eyes looked so sad. He looked so broken as blood dripped off his lower lip. Maybe it was her innocence that brought her forward, but to this day Marlene was sure it was Aeris. The flower girl had been watching over Marlene since her death, so she would not let Marlene get into harms way… somehow she knew Aeris had sent her to the warehouse to find the brothers.

"Cloud told me you died." The young brunette's innocence remained strong at her statement.

There was a cold bitter laugh, she knew it came from Kadaj, but somehow it seemed distant. He wouldn't explain how the three of them were rejected by the lifestream for many years; which was probably for the best, because she wouldn't have understood it at that age anyway.

She came and brought them food and medicines for their injuries in the following weeks, always managing to avoid suspicion from Tifa or Cloud. Soon she spanned her visits to that of every weekend as the boys got healthier.

Weeks fell into months and months to years, and everyday Marlene kept their secret as her own. Because even now she couldn't bring herself to remember or understand why she had decided to help them or how she managed to keep them a secret for ten years.

The only thing she did know was that the Sephiroth clones were infatuated with her, and it didn't take them long to grow attached to her innocence. But that innocence was for the most part lost- spending hours on end for years with the corrupted brothers had rubbed off on her in ways Marlene didn't realize until it was too late.

She sighed in relief when she slipped out of the bar and onto the vacant streets. The cool autumn breeze kissed her cheeks, tingeing them pink. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and relished the feel of freedom once again. She had managed to sneak out yet again with stealth Yazoo would be proud of.

Since Cloud wasn't too keen on teaching her how to fight, she turned to Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz who were more than happy to oblige; or maybe it was because they all had difficulty saying no to her.

Marlene had always wanted to fight. Ever since Sephiroth took Aeris from her, she wanted to fight all evils with everything she had. Though, she supposed, with the exception of Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz. Mind you they weren't exactly evil, _'Well not any more.'_ Marlene thought.

Yes she knew they often went out at night and stole stuff, but they stole stuff to survive. And she chose to believe that they hadn't killed anyone since they were rejected by the lifestream; or at least, they made no mention of such actions if they did.

And they hadn't gone back to the mindset of destroying the world to compensate for their anger with the intent of revenge, nor did they start using innocent children and manipulating them again. They hadn't manipulated her… not once; though she was sure Cloud and Tifa wouldn't be so trusting of the clones if the knew they were still alive.

But no, the brothers were distant with her at first, unsure of how to act around a child; despite the fact they were very much children themselves on the inside. They didn't lash out at her, or try to poison her fragile mind with lies; instead they let Marlene slowly carve her way into their life on her own.

To be honest, she wasn't sure why they had accepted her help, or continued to let her come around or even why they had grown so found of her. Marlene couldn't seem to wrap her mind around the thought. She blinked upon realizing, she had never asked.

Over the years she hadn't questioned them of such things; if the brothers wished to tell her something, they did so on their own terms. Which was strange for Marlene, she was always an inquisitive and curious child, she was always asking questions. But then again, she had changed upon meeting the brothers.

Marlene froze in place when two arms snaked around her waist. "What took you so long?" A seductive voice hissed in her ear. She was so lost in thought she hadn't realized she had already made her way to the warehouse.

Relaxing into the embrace, Marlene exhaled. "You know I need to wait until Cloud and Tifa are asleep." She reminded the youngest brother snuggling against her back.

Kadaj growled, "Just leave that boring place and stay with us." She could feel his warm breath against the back of her neck, "Stay here with _me_."

She looked away when she felt his lips graze her left cheek. "Don't be selfish Kadaj." She chastised in a whisper, almost sadly. "I've risked so much for you boys over the years, and to have me throw that all away by running away from home… Only to have Cloud and the others to discover you've been alive all this time... They would kill you again, and everything I've done would be for nothing…"

Kadaj turned the brunette around to face him; it was obvious she had already thought about leaving home to be with him and his brothers. He caught her chin between his fingers, and lifted her face so he could look at her properly.

"Asking me of such things isn't fair… it's not nice." She finished, her eyes conveying something resembling conclusion, like she was silently willing the conversation to be over.

"Marlene, you-"

She would not allow the youngest clone to continue his defense. "Where are Yazoo and Loz?" She asked suddenly, turning and walking away from the youngest brother and his heated touches.

Kadaj frowned at her back.

"Someone called?" Marlene turned and smiled upon seeing a sweaty Loz and a bored Yazoo. "Watching Loz work out is so amusing." Yazoo said sarcastically, dropping his chin into his right palm when he took a seat on the couch.

"Don't cry Yazoo~ Marlene is here now." Loz teased, walking towards the bedroom to find a change of clothes.

"Tch, says the cry-baby himself." The longer-haired man leaned back against the couch and eyed his younger brother who was sending fleeting looks to their little pet. His eyes leveled back on Marlene, "Anything interesting happen today? It's been so boring lately."

She smiled reassuringly taking a seat beside the middle brother, "It's not so bad."

He placed a loving hand on her head and ruffled her hair briefly, "Only because you come around at night."

"Yazoo! Stop!" She laughed, reaching for his hand when he pulled away with a grin.

Kadaj's eyes narrowed at the sight of his older brother flirting with Marlene. He didn't like to share things with his brothers as it was, let alone the girl he had become obsessed with.

But before Kadaj could lash out at his older brother he felt two muscular arms wrap around his neck in a lazy manner, as the elder brother stepped up from behind him. "What do you feel like doing tonight Marlene?" Loz asked lazily, no longer sweaty and in fresh clothes.

Kadaj growled at Loz's open display of affection, as he tugged at his brothers' wrist. "Do you mind?" he huffed, trying to untangle the arms from about his neck, a vain attempt of course.

Marlene let out a small giggle, catching Kadaj's attention- his eyes snapped over the small brunette by Yazoo. How Kadaj longed to hear that sound again. She hid her small smile behind her hand when her chocolate eyes met his.

"Marlene thinks it's cute." Loz said in a sing-song voice, resting his chin on Kadaj's head. "So Marlene? Any ideas?"

Her eyes widened for a moment, before casting down into her lap, a small blush touching her cheeks. "I do have one idea."

"Hmm? Something perverted?" Yazoo teased gently, poking at Marlene's blush, while wrapping his arm about her shoulder bringing her closer.

"No!" She composed herself at this. "I was thinking we could all watch a movie. We haven't spent time together lately, like all four of us."

"Ah- you _are_ being perverted!" Yazoo grinned poking at the brunette's side.

"I am not-ack! Yazoo!" Marlene gasped, falling backwards. Loz felt Kadaj's body go stiff as they watched the middle-brother pin Marlene to the couch beneath him.

"Easy, brother." Loz whispered breezily against his ear. "You'll get your turn."

The youngest clone clenched his fists, watching Yazoo trail his finger down Marlene's pinked cheeks. "I'm in no mood for sharing, Loz." Kadaj hissed back.

"Always so greedy." Loz pouted, tightening his hold around his brother.

Silver hair tickled her lips as Yazoo leaned closer to the younger girl. "Marlene are you thinking dirty thoughts?" Yazoo teased, this time his hand trailing up the inside of her thigh.

"N-no!" Marlene took a firm hold and his wrists, desperately trying not to think about why suddenly she could barely breathe.

"Yazoo, stop that! You are scaring Marlene!" Kadaj demanded angrily, trying to take a step forward.

Yazoo laughed playfully, "I'm only teasing our pet." He whispered gently, before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Marlene smiled back, before frowning at the nickname, "Hey! I'm no pet!" She huffed, pushing Yazoo up right. She took notice of Loz, who was suddenly lying flat on his back and Kadaj was storming his way towards them. "Kadaj?"

A tiny squeak escaped her lips when Kadaj wrapped his arms around her waist once more and brought her into his lap on the couch. "Loz can pick the movie." He grunted, glaring over at Yazoo, who was trying to look innocent.

Marlene smiled to herself. Kadaj always got this way when Yazoo or Loz got flirtatious around her. Nothing official ever happened between them, not yet at least. Things seemed to be simpler when she was younger and innocent, oblivious to it all.

But now, it was like the brothers were at a competition with each other, it was a game to see who could hold her attention the longest- though she noticed Kadaj's unofficial rule to this game meant that only Kadaj should be allowed to hold her (And Loz and Yazoo often went out of their way to break this rule, if only to spite their youngest brother). Marlene thought it was cute to be honest, they probably didn't realize she saw right through their game.

Marlene had been doing a lot of thinking lately, thinking about her boys… How if they suddenly decided to no longer share and play the game together, and only one would have her, Marlene could not decide who to chose. She loved them all dearly, all in different ways and for different reasons.

She was almost positive she loved Kadaj the most, mainly because she connected with him best, and whenever he touched her, she felt as if her skin was on fire. His continued possessiveness and jealous behaviour towards his brothers made Marlene smile. He always wanted to be with her, touching her… she enjoyed that about him. She enjoyed that he genuinely wanted to have her and that he did not want to share because he was sure Marlene belong to him. She always wanted to belong. Kadaj made her feel like she did… He may have been the most childish, as he would pout when teased or not given his way; and he certainly was the most driven, after all he did lead his brothers and the orphans all those years ago for the sole purpose of revenging his mother who he loved dearly. But somehow the youngest was the most passionate of the three, and knew how to set her skin ablaze with a single touch and leave her longing for more.

Kadaj knew how to make her heart yearn.

But then there was Yazoo, the playful middle brother. She connected with Yazoo first. He spent lots of time with her, and even found time for her when he was busy. They went for nightly walks, sometimes talking about random things for hours, and sometimes not talking at all. They could easily share a comfortable silence together, because he understood her to the point where things often needn't be said. He loved to tease her and play with her as child. He would read her stories, or make up ones just to make her laugh. He knew how to do that well. They still occasionally had pillow fights and tickle wars. And when he held her, or hugged her, it felt so right, she just wanted to curl up in his embrace and never leave. And he was probably the only brother out of the three that could get her blushing good.

Yazoo knew how to make her heart smile.

While Loz looked like a hard shell on the outside, on the inside he was the most emotional of them all. He was the one that would tell her of clone's past, and explain to her why they did the bad things they did. But he would never endorse it or try to justify their actions. She could tell him most anything, usually her family problems. And he would always sit and listen to her rant and vent, never stopping her. But sometimes she would listen to him. He would talk about his mother or his brothers, and he would often cry, and Marlene would just sit with his head in her lap, whispering gentle comforts and stroking his hair till he fell asleep. And sometimes he would kiss her neck gently when his brothers weren't looking and tell her she looked beautiful.

Loz knew how to make her heart melt.

 **{…..}**

The movie was about halfway over when Loz glanced down at Marlene, she was asleep. Her head was resting silently in Kadaj's lap, her feet tucked under Yazoo's arms to keep them warm, snuggled quite warmly between his two younger brothers.

He glanced at the clock and frowned; Marlene should have left 20 minutes ago. It would be dawn soon. "Hey guys…" He murmured, catching their attention away from the second movie. "We should wake her, she needs to go."

Kadaj scowled at his brother. "Then by all means, wake her up Loz." He hissed quietly. Kadaj would not be held responsible for disturbing such an angel in her peaceful slumber. He idly brushed his fingers through her hair.

Loz hesitated under the intense stares of his younger siblings. Would it really hurt to have her sleep a bit longer?

She did look undeniably peaceful and adorable, snuggled up like that. Any and all stress that usually was visible in her features had melted away as she slept. Her face was calm and her quiet breathing was almost soothing.

"I suppose letting her sleep one more hour, wouldn't hurt…" Loz mumbled, trying to pry his attention away from Marlene and back on the movie, which was almost over anyway.

"I'll take her back to our bed; it will be more comfortable there. And I'm ready to fall asleep anyway. You guys can wake her when the movies over." Yazoo yawned, and much to Kadaj's chagrin, gently and carefully cradled the sleeping girl in his arms as he made his way to the bedroom.

"Tch." Kadaj grunted as Marlene was taken away from his sight, and he continued to sulk and pout for the remaining of the movie.

 **{…..}**

Marlene snuggled closer to the warmth around her body. It was so warm and comfy in fact, she didn't want to wake up. It felt so nice; she wanted to stay here forever.

It was the gentle breathing of other bodies and several pairs of arms tangled around her that forced Marlene to open her eyes. Sunlight splashed across the windowpane and danced across the sleeping faces of the three brothers snuggling against her.

Kadaj's face was mere inches from her own; she could feel his sweet wintry breath on her lips as he continued to sleep. And one of his hands was tangled in her hair as his forehead was lightly resting on her own, as if he had fell asleep kissing her.

She felt Yazoo behind her, holding her tightly against him, as if never wanting to let her go. His calm breaths rushed up her neck and past her ears, nearly drowning her skin in Goosebumps.

Then there was Loz, stretched almost diagonally across the bed, his feet tangled up with Kadaj's, and his head resting gently on her upper thigh. And he was holding her hand, his fingers intertwined with her own.

Oh, how she longed to wake up this way every morning, tangled up in the arms and embraces of the ones she loved. She never wanted this moment to end; she wanted to saviour this feeling for as long as she could before she had to go home…

Home… She needed to be at home! She must have fallen asleep during the movie.

Reality crashed down on Marlene, so hard and brutal she could barely breathe. It was morning, the sun was up, and from the looks of the light it was well past dawn.

Cloud and Tifa were sure to be awake by now. Oh this was so, so bad.

Not even bothering to not disturb the sleeping clones, Marlene bolted up right, scrambling as fast as she could off the bed. The jolt and sudden movement of Marlene leaving their arms awoke the brothers immediately, none of them seemingly aware of the danger and the trouble they were now in.

"How could you?!" She screeched, scrambling around, trying to find her shoes, which were removed before she was put into their bed. "How could you not wake me, and let me sleep this late? You know I need to be home before Tifa and Cloud wake up!" She cried.

Yazoo looked horrified as he glared at his two brothers. "You didn't wake her? I told you to wake her up after the movie!" She glanced at the middle brother, finding it hard to be angry at him (or any of them) when he looked so good…

His long messy hair washed over his well defined bare chest, his hand running through its long silvery locks in frustration as his piercing eyes glared at the other two.

"I told Loz to wake her! I didn't want to wake Marlene, she looked too cute!" Kadaj protested, earning Marlene's attention next, "I fell asleep not long after you did!"

His full upper and very bare body was visible clearly in the morning light. She hadn't realized how toned the youngest brother was. He was always the scrawny and skinniest of the three. Yet here he was, sitting in the glow of the morning sun, muscles rippling up and down his chest and upper arms.

"I must have fallen asleep watching her." Loz moaned.

Marlene's eyes flickered over to the eldest brother. His arms were by far his best feature, his shoulders and back were much broader than his two younger siblings. He looked so strong and manly this morning.

Tears formed in his eyes as he shamelessly buried his face into his hands. "It's all my fault." He sobbed. Okay, even with the tears he still looked manly; he didn't have to behave manly to look that hot.

Yazoo rolled his eyes. "Don't cry Loz."

"I'm not crying!"

Marlene didn't have time for their usual squabbles. "Someone help me find my shoes!" She demanded, turning her back on her boys. She could not be staring at them like this; she was supposed to be angry at them!

"Marlene, why don't you just stay awhile longer since you are already here? Come back to bed." Kadaj almost purred as he tried to invite the small brunette to stay.

"Damnit Kadaj!" She hissed, turning on him. "Don't you think I WANT to stay? You know the rules! I leave before dawn, and don't get caught so I can continue to come see you boys!" She cried angrily.

"If you cared for us at all you would stay." Kadaj pouted.

"How dare you!" Marlene snapped, making all three boys jump at her continuous outburst. "Like hell I don't care for you! I've sacrificed so much for you selfish idiots, I've done so much for you over these years, and all I ever get in return is you griping for more! Its always more, whatever I try to do for you is never good enough" Marlene screamed, tears pouring down her cheeks.

How dare he, how dare he accuse her of not caring! She loved them!

Neither brother spoke, or moved for that matter. They just stared in shock as Marlene continued to glare at the floor, tears falling from her cheeks, now unable to meet their eyes. She was angry and upset.

"Marlene? Are you in here?"

She gasped and glanced at the closed bedroom door. The voice was coming from the living room area of the warehouse. And it was voice she knew.

Oh no, no, no, no!

This was so bad.

"Cloud it looks like someone is living here, we shouldn't just barge in."

"I could have sworn I heard her voice…"

"No I heard it too; she must be around here somewhere!"

Three familiar voices…

Not bothering to meet their eyes, Marlene ran away from the brothers, silently willing them to stay put and stay silent so she could try to lure her family away from here.

Rushing out the door and down the stairs she called to them. "Cloud? Tifa? Denzel? What are you doing here?" She tried to sound innocent, yet somehow her throat seemed too tight to be able to speak, and her voice was strained and squeaky.

Denzel rushed to her first. "Marlene!" He hugged her close, as she heard him exhale in relief. "What happened? Why are you crying? Are you hurt?"

She silently cursed herself, wiping away her tears. "I'm fine, really… I was just thinking about something sad…" It wasn't really a lie. Marlene was sad. "Why are you here Denzel?"

Her friend frowned down at her. "Tifa called me to help find you, she figured you ran away from home so I checked all your favourite hiding spots when we were little." Denzel said with a heavy sigh.

"Marlene, how long have you been out here for? Why didn't you leave a note?" Tifa asked suddenly.

"I didn't think I'd be out that long... I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk and ended up here... I must have fallen asleep.." Marlene said quietly, lying yet again. "I'm sorry, for worrying you."

"You should apologize to Vincent!" Denzel continued to scold her, she could he was relieved but he was still upset that she had scared him.

"Vincent?"

"I asked him to help, he stayed at 7th Heaven in case you came home while we were out looking for you." Cloud, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.

Marlene blinked, Vincent of all people had come rushing home because she was missing? Her eyes cast to the floor, guilt sweeping over her. This was the last thing she wanted to happen. She didn't want everyone to drop everything for her when she had been lying to them all these years.

"Let's go." Cloud ordered, taking a hold of her wrist to lead her back home, "Vincent is very worried." His voice was cold and stern. He was angry, but Marlene could tell he was holding back. Had she scared Cloud too?

She would have let Cloud lead her freely, if it were not for a sudden movement that caught Cloud's eye to make him leap back at the last second, releasing her immediately.

Both Tifa and Denzel jumped back as well as a sword narrowly missed cutting off Cloud's hand that was holding her. Kadaj stood in front of Marlene, shielding her from her family, as Yazoo and Loz took their place at either side of her, weapons in hand.

She noticed they were all wearing a shirt of some sort now; Kadaj with his leather jacket, Loz in his white muscle shirt, and Yazoo in his baggy grey t-shirt.

No, oh God no! This wasn't happening, this wasn't supposed to ever happen!

"You!" Without a seconds hesitation Cloud withdrew his sword.

"You three are supposed to be dead!" Denzel was yelling, his voice dripping of malice and hatred.

Kadaj merely sneered at this, glancing back at his two brothers. "Have any idea what this kid is blabbering on about?"

Yazoo shrugged playfully, "Maybe he's ill?"

Marlene narrowed her eyes a the three of them. Mocking Denzel and Cloud was not going to solve the problem, if anything it was making the situation worse. "What are you doing?" She hissed through her teeth, hoping her voice was low enough that only the brothers could hear.

They ignored her.

Marlene was outraged, but was in too much shock to move.

"Give Marlene back!" She heard Tifa demand as she lowered into a fighting stance. "Give her back and maybe we wont kill you."

No! This was all so wrong. How could Kadaj and his brothers be so stupid?!

Kadaj clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "You will not take her away from us." His voice low and possessive. "You cannot have her! She is ours!" Kadaj declared this with such rage and confidence it sent shivers down her spine.

"Kadaj, no!" She begged quietly, reaching out to him.

"You will hand her over now!" Cloud demanded angrily, his grip tightening around his sword.

Then Kadaj said the words that made Marlene feel sick to her stomach, the words that sealed his fate. "Over my dead body!" He snarled, crouching in a low fighting stance. "She's mine."

It all happened so fast, yet it was as if she was watching it in slow motion. She watched as Cloud charged forward, slowly raising his sword as he neared the youngest clone.

Marlene did the only thing she could think of, using form Yazoo had taught her, she kicked out Kadaj's legs from under him, sending him falling flat on his back. His sword clattering out of reach. She ignored his look of shock, and Cloud's sudden look of triumph as he came up to take advantage of Kadaj's fall, and she lept forward.

Her feet straddling Kadaj's waist as she stood above him, her hands coming up just in time to catch Cloud's blade between her palms. The weight of his sword, sent her crashing down on one knee, her butt barely resting on Kadaj's chest, as she fought with all her strength to keep the blade at bay.

Cloud immediately stopped his attack, but he was unable to pull his sword away; at least for the moment. He stared down at the young brunette, protecting the clone, in shock. "Marlene?"

Kadaj stared up at her, fear and confusion swimming in his eyes as he watched blood drip down her arms, and tears stream down her cheeks as she kept herself between him and the sword. "Mar-Marlene?!" Kadaj didn't understand, she could have been killed with a stunt like that!

"Please Cloud!" She begged, ignoring the pain in her hands. For she was crying for an entirely different reason. "Don't kill them... They've changed... Don't take them away from me..." She sobbed openly now. "I love them!" She cried. "I can stand to lose more people I love! Please... If you must kill them, kill me first!"

Marlene loved them? Kadaj blinked watching her arms tremble beneath the weight of the sword. She risked her life for him, because she loved him? She would die for them?

Just as he would gladly die for her...

Both Yazoo and Loz, who were also staring down at Marlene in shock, snapped out of it to aim their guns at Cloud's head. "Withdraw your sword. Now." Yazoo demanded.

Cloud, though still in shock, needn't be told twice. He lept back, and heard Tifa finally gasp when she noticed Marlene's bloodied hands.

Kadaj slowly sat up, allowing Marlene to slump in his lap. His arms wrapped around her protectively, holding her up so he could examine her wounds. "You foolish child." He scolded her almost affectionately, letting her lean against his chest as he held up her palms to get a better look. "Loz, give me you're shirt!" He demanded.

Loz nodded, trying to hold back tears as he swiftly removed the shirt, handing it to Kadaj, before aiming his gun back at Cloud again.

Yazoo kept his eyes steady on Cloud as Kadaj tore the shirt and bandaged Marlene's hands. "What were you thinking?" Yazoo demanded, his eyes not moving off the man that had made Marlene bleed.

She looked up at Yazoo, mainly in an attempt to avoid Kadaj's intense stare. "I could ask the same of you." she hissed back angrily. "They were going to kill you again! What were **you** three thinking?" She resorted, flinching slightly as Kadaj tightened the bandage.

"We were thinking of how they would have taken you away from us!" Kadaj snapped angrily.

Loz interjected calmly. "We would have never saw you again. We rather die than give you up willingly."

"And then you go and pull this stunt!" Kadaj raised her hands so she could see the bloodied bandages clearly. "We could have truly lost you forever, Marlene! And then what? What would we have to live for?" He was shaking her slightly as he scolded her.

"And what would I have done if you three died again?" Marlene yelled back matching Kadaj's volume, ignoring her family's presence. "You expect me to stand by and watch you die?"

"Do you really think us that _weak_?!" Kadaj spat the word like it was poison.

"You are not invincible Kadaj! You died before. You are human whether you like it or not!"

"And that gives you the right to throw your life away for mine? You are a foolish child! You do not understand. You are all we have! Even if we died again you would not be alone! You would still have a life!"

"You are wrong!" Marlene was crying now, "You three _are_ my life now. If you died, I would die..." She fell forward, sobbing into his chest. "Why cant you understand how much I love you? How much I need you three..." Her voice was muffled so only Kadaj could hear her faint whispers.

She felt his hand gently stroke her back and neck as he shushed her. "You belong with us." He said loudly, locking glares with Cloud. "We wont let them take you from us." It was a statement, a matter of fact, a promise.

* * *

 **AN:** part 1 of ? I actually haven't decided where i'm taking this yet, but this has been an idea I've had for years- thought I should share what I have. Rating may change in the future.


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